Hey, I was thinking that we could do like a "family fun day" where we focus on getting kids outside. Since all of us are athletic we could all like lead booths with games and stuff...if some of us arent so inclined, they could make healthy snacks and drinks. We could charge for admission and food, and give the money to a charity. The only hard thing about this would be securing a site, but after that it would be fun and easy to organize. Let me know what you think!
I'm still a huge fan of volunteering somehow with the Special Olympics...I worked with them last year lifeguarding, and it was really easy to get involved...no background checks or anything, and it's already set up and we wouldn't need funding- we could just volunteer to organize and plan an event with something already established. Very rewarding and an opportunity to work without having to jump through a lot of hoops.....
I really like the ideas here, but I think that the special olympics thing would be cool because it's already set up, we'd just have to get involved. Something else simple we could do would probably be like, cleaning up Elizabeth Park or some other park like that, you know? It's fun, it'll be nice outside, we'd only have to buy minimal things.
well this is the list that vanessa sent us in the email:
* Hospital prom (for the terminally ill) o Anything with kids o Background checks? * Toys for Tots * Military gifts to families/soldiers * Recycling/food * H20 project * Special needs/Special Olympics * Darfur * Michael Donnely land preservation * Boundless Playground
But I'm pretty much up for anything, as long as we get something done. I kind of want to do something with kids, if possible. But other than that, as long as we have something then I don't care.
I am willing to go along with whatever we decide we would like to do. I really like the idea of working with the Special Olympics. We are all sports captains or athletic leaders in some way. Using that leadership, we can implement a Sport's Day for Special Olympics and the Terminally Ill. For this day, all we would need is to find a place that is willing to allow us to spend some a day for a great cause. It would be a lot of fun to spend some time with these children, and adults, who rarely have good friends willing to play with them. Tell me guys, what's more satisfying then putting a smile on a child's face? Need I say more?
I also thought about a Christmas in July for the other idea, except in this case it would be Christmas in April. Since Easter is during this month as well, we can assemble Easter baskets and ask for donations anywhere around for small toys, books, trinkets, or whatever they would like to donate. Plus, if anyone else has any gently used or brand new toys then they can donate as well. We can have a few people write a letter to terminally ill, mentally challenged, or physically impaired children and adults at local hospitals such as Connecticut Children's Medical Center or St. Jude's Memorial Hospital about Santa Clause coming to visit them, and asking them to write two or three items that they would like to have for a surprise visit from the North Pole. And the best part about it....Someone can dress up as Santa Clause, and everyone else can be elves!!!
Let me know what you guys think:
What's more satisfying then putting a smile on a child's face?
I really think that we should do something original. The point of this project is not to do the easiest thing, its to do something that we really are invested in. Yes, doing something already established would be fun and have an impact, but isn't there something more we could do? Maybe something that reaches out to people who aren't already being helped. Of course, no one is saying that we can't do two things!
hey guys...so i talked to my dad last night and he gave me a guy whom I can email or call to find out if there is a group from CT heading out soon. It won't be hard at all because he is actually the father of one of the kids in band with me.
okay. so I talked to the guy who's is on some committee for people shipping out. His name is Fred Michlon, and he said that there is a group from the Army that was shipping out in the near future. He said all we have to do is give him a call and he can get us in touch with their family support.
yea finally this blog is workin for me!! that's awesome ashley, thanx... do you have the conact info and stuff.... ok guys, so wat steps do we have to do, to start workin on this project?
Hey! I thought I would make up a list of all the things that we need to do to get our service project going! If anyone thinks of anymore, let me know and I will add it to the list. This way, we can see what all we have to do and start delegating tasks...so that we have something for the December meeting!
OK, so this is my list so far.
-Find unit, number of soldiers, place of departure, and date of departure. -Contact families of soldiers. -Obtain pictures. -Contact local businesses to ask for donations of pillowcases/iron on transfers/gift bags/other materials OR fundraise (how?) -Create actual pillowcases. -Wrap gifts. -Arrange transportation to departure site. -Organize presentation, decorations?, and other such logistics. -Implement!
That's a great list Nami. I can't really think of anything else to put on there at the moment. I'm going to see Mr. Michlon on Friday at the football game at our school...and I'll get all of his information. Do you want me to post it here? Or send it to everybody in an email?
:) Thanks, and ya, if you could post it here that would be great. I was going to tell everybody about checking the blog, so hopefully everyone will see it! But, it can't hurt to send it in an email! Thanks Ashley!
Sorry I could not get on the blog sooner! School has been extremely hectic lately!
I have a question for both of you:
Nami: I was thinking if we could like get some donations from our family and our friends and their friends and their friends' friend! Is this a good idea? Or should we stick with the donations?
Ashley: Thanks, Ashley! Your leadership in carrying us through laying out the groundworks for this service project is astounding and I want you to know that at least I appreciate that of you! How exactly is this all going to work though? Could you give a description on how we are going to put together the bundles and pillow cases? Or how they are going to get to the families? I understand all the materials and what not, but I don't know how it will all work!
Both of you: Let me know what I can do! I would like to help you guys!
~Kyle~
P.S. Nami! I don't what to leave you out either! You are doing a good job carrying us through as well!
P.S.P.S.
Let's get this project rolling!
P.S.P.S.P.S.
Let me know for the second time, you two, what I can do!
Do you guys think we should like, start thinking of ideas for how we're going to get the money for this? We can obviously ask for donations, but I kinda doubt that we would be able to get all of the money we need from those donations. [By the way, how much do you think we'll need? I know it depends on the amount of soldiers, but estimate maybe?] And fundraising ideas? idk We're going to need to find out about this stuff
hey guys we are doing great... one important key thing.. dont forget wat mr.reynalde and beth said.. to ask for donations, we have to send that organization or people, a formal letter from CRILA askin for donations.... keep up the work... let me kno 2, if u need anythin
Sharon, thanks for the point about the formal letter. I was thinking about how we could do something like that and I was wondering if we should like have a few people that haven't necessary gotten a chance to participate and maybe they can put together a list of companies to ask and then a final list of the donating companies. Then, another group of kids can work on the letter together in one time (maybe if there's time at the next meeting; if not, maybe we can somehow get it on the blog or what not.)Then, the group can present it to the whole entire group and then present it! I mean, maybe we can even do this at the next meeting if we can hustle. It's just an idea to get everyone involved because I would feel bad if only a few people worked on it.
As far as the fundraising goes, I am not really sure. I mean, we could probably look around (no solicitation) and maybe another group of us could write an advertisement in the Journal Inquirer or Hartford Courant. If we don't want to go publicly, we could probably just ask ourselves a few different ideas each. By doing a little by each of us, everyone gets to put their share in and we don't have anyone feeling like they've been left out.
The project is still young in its development. Obviously, these ideas are not permanent. I think we are doing great and I really appreciate those of us that are leading us towards a large mountain that we must climb together in order to reach the summit. Keep it up everyone, we're doing great!
Yeah i think we should start doing some fundraising. What if we held something like a bake sale outside of a store or something and took the proceeds and put them towards the pillows? I know it's kind of a strange idea, but it could work. I'm not totally sure about other ideas. Just as an update, my dad is sending me Mr. Michlon's email address tomorrow (he wasn't at the game on friday).
Once we get the information he has, we will be able to contact the people in charge of the soldiers' departure.
Ashley, thanks for talking to him! And I really think that your idea about a bake sale would work, and we would get a good amount of money. Any specific ideas as to where? Have you ever done one outside of a store before? Who do we talk to? I would be happy to contact the Stop and Shop in Simsbury and ask if you would like. Maybe we could do simultaneous bake sales different places, and then pool the money.
Kyle, Thanks! Hahaha. About the donations... I don't know what everyone else thinks, and I don't know if you mean monetary donations or physical donations, but I think that monetary donations would be fine...I just wouldn't want to give the soldiers anything but brand new pillowcases! I liked your idea about putting an ad in the Hartford Courant...but where would we get the money...? This is kind of a vicious cycle...
Sharon - good point...I was kind of blocking out the formal letter because I wasn't so excited to write it...do you know if there is a template we can use? I am sure someone can draft one this weekend otherwise.
Steph - I looked up pillowcase prices (Yes, I do realize how ridiculous that sounds...hehehe) and they are about $7 each. So, I am guessing that we will need at LEAST 30, and it is about $40 for 50 iron-on transfer sheets. That right there is $250, and that doesn't even include decorations and transportation expenses! So...we have a lot of work to do!
Ashley brings up a good point about the bake sale or just getting started with fundraising in general. We could also do a Recycling Drive where we collect a whole bunch of cans and recycled materials (as much as people want to bring in) and we can get raise money as that. We can also ask companies for their trash and bring those to a Recycling Center for the money as well. All we would need is a pair or small group of us to help bring transfer the cans to the bottle returns or Recycling Center. I mean, it is going to be a bit of a small amount of money but think about if we could get a bunch of bags of cans, we could slowly work our way up along with something a bit more economical such as the Bake Sale or some other type of activity. If we wanted to, we could even ask Friendly's to get involved with proceeds where there's one or two nights where, I want to say about 15-20% of the total proceeds go straight to us. This is another type of fundraising goal we could try. What do you guys think? I am always open for suggestions.
One other thing, when are we going to delegate specific jobs for the project and how? Or do we still have time to consider that? I was just thinking that the earlier we can work on the layout for the project the quicker we can assign people to specific jobs (working around their schedules of course)and get going with the project so we're not limp or on the short end of the fuse.
However, I will say that I am happy on our progress so far as we work on planning this large event that encompass a broad range of our leadership skills and put us to the test on yet another arduous mountain! Let's find ourselves striving to reach the summit! Picture the mountains of Colorado and that adventurous and truly awesome experience we all took this past summer and be encouraged to reach those heights again!
I really like Kyle's idea of the Friendly's fundraiser. We have a very actively participating Friendly's in Enfield that I'm sure would be more than happy to do a fundraiser. It just depends on when they would be able to do it.
The can and bottle drive is a great idea Kyle! I did one for field hockey for the past two years, and I raised $98 the first time and $75 the second alone. Imagine how much money we could get if we all chipped in together?!?!
We should also look at the copy of the sheet we got at the last meeting as well just to make sure we have everything ready to present to the staff at our next meeting.
Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been part of the blog until now. What you guys have come up with is amazing though. I like all of the fundraisers mentioned are very doable. I would like doing any and we could even do them all. None of them require too much work by us and the more people we help the better. Also, I wasn't at the last meeting so I don't know if I know everything that's going on. I know what the project is but if there is anything else going on or any other requirements for the project it'd be great to know. Thanks guys
We basically chose projects randomly that we thought would be useful and that we could do as a group. We narrowed down a long list of projects down to four and we narrowed the project ideas into two. We then voted on the project based on which one we would favor more. That project obviously was to do the pillowcases for the children and families of soldiers overseas.
After that, we pretty much literally just got started with our planning part and we didn't really come up with anything, not even fundraising. So if you're wondering if you missed a huge massive lecture and a large deal of action, then you do not have to stress because we literally only just picked our final topic and then briefly put together certain ideas.
Talk to you later!
~Kyle~
P.S. We have awesome ideas for fundraising and I agree with both Ashley and Nami that the ideas that I presented (no pun intended and without being selfish, haha) and I think that all they are really good ideas as well as some of the others that we have aforementioned. I think we are doing great, but we should really consider going into the meeting on the 8th with most of the brainstorming done, as it has been asked of us to do so, as well as start thinking about delegating positions or if we don't need any delegations at all. Let's put this project into action!
hi everyone :) Sorry I'm getting in on this blog so late, but you guys are amazing for doing so much already! The recyling drive, bake sale, and Friendly's thing all sound like they would definitely get us enough money to buy all of the supplies we need (and we might even be able to get some sort of deal on supplies if we tell the stores what we're doing with them and if we go to smaller, locally based places). Has anyone started actually writing the letter that we have to submit next time, proposing our plan? If no one has, I would be happy to do it, or if someone already has, let me know if I can help!
Hey Jess! If anybody has started it, it would be Nami, so I would talk with her.
Just as an update, I'm still waiting for the contact information, which I'm almost positive that I'll get by Monday at the latest, and should have more information for everybody later.
When should we start fundraising for all of this? I know that we have to have a good outline of everything by our meeting, but do you think we can start planning things beforehand? let me know!
I think we should probably start thinking about having a solidified fundraising idea before our next meeting and then submit it at the meeting to see if everyone agrees on our fundraising techniques. If we can type out like a short description about each type of fundraiser and then make some notes along the way, I think we should be good! And maybe we can make those notes going along with the outline that we each got at the last meeting and follow the ideas and pointers that it says on the sheet! It doesn't have to be perfect, and you can always change the ideas around a little!
Okay so I was reviewing the sheet that we should have "completed" by next Monday, and we have a lot of work to do.
I just sent out an email to Mr. Michlon, so hopefully I will be getting an email back some time today and will keep you posted. We can't further anything until we get a response from him concerning time, place, permisson, etc. But, we can figure out a way to advertise? I'm thinking email would probably be easy, unless we were willing to go down to the base and talk to the soldiers personally, which I think would be a lot better. Also, we need to figure out what supplies we need. So far, I think all we need is pillowcases, cameras, iron? lol.
We can't decide a timeline until we have the information coming back to me in the email.
We also need to set the fundraising ideas. So far we have a bake sale and a Can and Bottle drive. When would anybody be willing to do a can and bottle drive, because that rakes in so much money, and is easy. I know of a place in Windsor Locks where we don't even need to put them through a machine one at a time. If anybody wants to give me a date, I'll be more than willing to go around with you to collect some cans and things.
We also need to plan leaders and speakers. I honestly don't think it will be a good idea to go the day they're leaving, coming from experience. That is there time and it's our job to respect that. But when my dad left, we had a going away barbecue kind of thing, so if they are having one, we could probably go there then. But, like i said, I need to get the information from Mr. Michlon back first.
Can anybody think of anything else? Or want to get started on some course of action?
I am willing to do whatever I am needed for. I would like to be a speaker because I like to public speak and many people say I am very good at it!
I can probably do the Cans and Bottles Drive sometime during Christmas Break, which is the dates of December 23rd-January 4 or 5th. However, my work schedule is going to be very hectic during this because I work at a dog kennel in Willington and my schedule is off of the high demands of this time. The problem with everyone picking a date and trying to get all the cans and bottles to you or to go around and collect is that it might get so slow that we could be using the time for other, more valuable items.
So, my idea to all of you is:
Bring any cans or bottles that you can bring or collect within a week to the next meeting (December 8th) so we can get going on the Drive.
Ashley, I would be more than happy to help you bring the bottles and cans to the Windsor Locks place on Sunday, December 14th because I am not working then! I could go with my dad and we could meet you in Enfield or we could meet somewhere at the place even!
Ashley, what do you think about the idea of bringing cans and bottles to the next meeting? Or anyone else? Would an email be better or keep this on the blog? I was thinking that an email and the blog would probably be pretty good!
Hey everybody. I just heard back from Mr. Michlon. Here's the email he sent to me.
Hi Ashley, We actually have about 45 members of the Air National Guard based out of Orange, CT leaving late December & early January. We also have some Army National Guard soldiers going early next year and I can find out specifics on that as well. I will get our Family Program Coordinator, Mrs. Donna Rivera in touch with you to help you coordinate what you need to do. Good luck!
Hopefully Mrs. Rivera will contact us quickly and we will be able to make this work. We are very lucky to have some people shipping out around this time! If she doesn't before the next meeting, I'll find her contact information and give her a call myself.
Kyle, I'll have to check my schedule about the cans and everything, but I'm pretty sure I'm free for the most part. But yeah, if anybody has any cans that they could collect by next Monday and bring them to the meeting, I think that would work out great!
OK, so I am willing to compile a list of all of the ideas that we have been throwing around on here for the next meeting. Also, I think we can definitely have everyone bring in cans and bottles for the next meeting, I will send out an email. Also, I think a good target for fundraising would be about $500 - which is probably way above what we need (I posted my calculations on the blog - they came out to be like $250, so we will be safe with double that I am sure!). What do you think?
Also, Ashley, do you think that you can Ms. Rivera if there is a unit shipping out in March/April? Because I don't think that we will be able to get this done by January! :/ Also, I like your point about allowing them to have their own time at the departure, so should we consider mailing all the finished pillowcases to the head of the unit to distribute? I am not quite sure how it all works, so that is just an idea.
Nami that works out great! There is one slight problem with all of this though...if there is no other group shipping out...we might have to change our plans a little bit. If there is, then we are golden. But if not, maybe we should consider sending the soldiers pillow cases with their families on it. That way, we are safe no matter what.
And $500 sounds like a perfect number to reach for. I just hope everybody that has not been a part of this blog agrees with everything we are doing lol.
Ashley, you brought up a good point about how we should have a bit of margin of error in our process. I agreed with Nami that we probably can't finish this project in January or even work on it that soon.
Nami, I agree with you as well about the margin of error and I think you are doing a great job with the goals. I have went ahead and emailed everyone about the cans and bottles and I was just wondering if you got it?
I am also preparing a sheet of paper with everyone's name on it so that they can check off that they have brought in their bags and put the number of bags that they bring in. I agree with the $500 worth of recyclable money. I just wanted to know how we are going to bring all the things to the place. I am willing to help you, Ash, so don't worry! I think that maybe between the three of us( others can obviously help too!) we can probably manage to bring some home and at some point meet at Ashley's house and help her transport the recyclables and dish them out to the place.
So, did my email work?
Thanks again, Nami and Ashley! We are doing great!
hey guys. I hate that I haven't done anything yet so let me know if there is anything I can do. I have a huge thing of recyclables that I can bring in or help recycle at any time. if you need me to type anything up or help plan anything just tell me and I'll do it. you guys are doing amazing but I feel bad that you're at it alone
If anybody wants to, it would be great if we got some help actually turning in the cans. Hopefully we will get plenty at the meeting, but we might need some help returning them. Anybody interested? We could probably grab lunch or something afterwards if we wanted.
Yup, Kyle! I got your email! I will be sure to bring in as many things as I can! Also, in terms of transporting them to wherever we are going, I can put some in my trunk at the meeting and just bring them to Stop and Shop and deposit them in the machines there. (Its OK if I look like I drank 500 cans of soda, its for a good cause!) So is the Stop and Shop OK or are we going to go somewhere else and deposit them? I could only do the Stop and Shop because I am working on my college applications and am so busy! So if that works I am game. :)
Also, Jess and I are working on the formal letter, so that will be ready for our next meeting, so that we can distribute it to the stores/companies that we want to ask for donations.
I would be happy to help with bringing the cans and bottles down to the Recycling Center, but I just need to know when we're actually going to bring them to the Windsor Locks place.
Nami, it's a great idea to transport them to the Stop and Shop, but we have found a more efficient and beneficial way of bringing the cans and bottles. Ashley said that there's a place in in Windsor Locks where you don't have to even untie the bags or place the cans and bottles in one by one. I don't know exactly what time or when but I would think it would be sometime over a weekend.
I thank each and everyone of you that has taken a look at the blog, made a conscious effort to at least try to make an identity, and those people that are willing to go the extra few miles up the rocky trail to the base of those mountains in Colorado, because each and everyone of us can hike to those heights with the teamwork and the dedication that we have displayed so far, while counterbalancing maybe some of the questions and problems that we think we may have. Yeah, it is tough blood and a lot of hard work, blood-shed tears and strenuous times, but think about how good you will feel knowing that you made a difference in many of hundreds of lives.
As they always say, "The Ripple Effect," always carries us through life. "What goes around comes around," is another great quote. Each and everyone of us has been put onto this Earth for a reason! Let us follow our predestined paths that defines us as leaders!
Hi its Kevin. I feel really bad about jumping in to all this, but you guys are doing a great job with really putting the pieces together. I would be willing to go to the recycle center or even down to a local stop and shop to help return the bottles people bring next meeting. If you can just let me know the further details I'd be happy to help.
So the place in Windsor Locks, unfortunately, I don't exactly know the name of the street it is on, but I know how to get there from my house. If travelling all the way to Windsor Locks is too far (I don't want to waste anybody's gas money or time), then the local Stop and Shop works just as well, this just might be faster. It took my grandma and I 45minutes to deposit $50 worth of cans in one shot.
About the 14th Kyle, I can't go then, because I'm trying out for a field hockey team on that date. But on a weekend would be so much easier.
I was also thinking about something. If we cannot find a group of people leaving around March or April, what do you think we should do? The group Mr. Michlon was talking about was leaving in January, and that does not give us enough time at all, seeing as it needs to be approved by CREC before we can start anything...
I think we should have a back up plan just in case. And if the lady does not respond to me within the next few days, I will try to find a way to get ahold of her.
Nami and Jess- thanks so much for working on the letter! I know you guys are swamped with college applications and everything, so it really means a lot to us :]
Is there anything else we need for the meeting on Monday?
Just a reminder to everyone to please bring whatever cans and bottles that you can get. They can be from your house or your family or your friends, or schools or a little bit of each. Make sure to see me before the start of the meeting to check off that you brought your cans and bottles. THANKS!!!!
Thanks again for your time and care and I look forward to seeing you all at Monday's Meeting, only in two more days with the greatest society of young leaders around! :)
I was just wondering how everyone was doing with their committees! Just a reminder that we have to have the Chair and Co-chair for your committee picked out by the next meeting, January 8th. We also need to have each and every one of the committees share their reports (like who is their Chair and Co-chair, and their ideas so far), that way we all know as one large group that how our project is panning out!
Thanks guys! I guess you could communicate with me on the Blog!
47 comments:
Hey, I was thinking that we could do like a "family fun day" where we focus on getting kids outside. Since all of us are athletic we could all like lead booths with games and stuff...if some of us arent so inclined, they could make healthy snacks and drinks. We could charge for admission and food, and give the money to a charity. The only hard thing about this would be securing a site, but after that it would be fun and easy to organize. Let me know what you think!
Nami
Hey Guys! I wasn't there for the last meeting, and so am willing to go along with any ideas you guys have.
I'm still a huge fan of volunteering somehow with the Special Olympics...I worked with them last year lifeguarding, and it was really easy to get involved...no background checks or anything, and it's already set up and we wouldn't need funding- we could just volunteer to organize and plan an event with something already established. Very rewarding and an opportunity to work without having to jump through a lot of hoops.....
im up for anything
I really like the ideas here, but I think that the special olympics thing would be cool because it's already set up, we'd just have to get involved.
Something else simple we could do would probably be like, cleaning up Elizabeth Park or some other park like that, you know? It's fun, it'll be nice outside, we'd only have to buy minimal things.
P.S. Thank you Ian for setting this up. : )
well this is the list that vanessa sent us in the email:
* Hospital prom (for the terminally ill)
o Anything with kids
o Background checks?
* Toys for Tots
* Military gifts to families/soldiers
* Recycling/food
* H20 project
* Special needs/Special Olympics
* Darfur
* Michael Donnely land preservation
* Boundless Playground
But I'm pretty much up for anything, as long as we get something done. I kind of want to do something with kids, if possible. But other than that, as long as we have something then I don't care.
Hey guys, how are things?
I am willing to go along with whatever we decide we would like to do. I really like the idea of working with the Special Olympics. We are all sports captains or athletic leaders in some way. Using that leadership, we can implement a Sport's Day for Special Olympics and the Terminally Ill. For this day, all we would need is to find a place that is willing to allow us to spend some a day for a great cause. It would be a lot of fun to spend some time with these children, and adults, who rarely have good friends willing to play with them. Tell me guys, what's more satisfying then putting a smile on a child's face? Need I say more?
I also thought about a Christmas in July for the other idea, except in this case it would be Christmas in April. Since Easter is during this month as well, we can assemble Easter baskets and ask for donations anywhere around for small toys, books, trinkets, or whatever they would like to donate. Plus, if anyone else has any gently used or brand new toys then they can donate as well. We can have a few people write a letter to terminally ill, mentally challenged, or physically impaired children and adults at local hospitals such as Connecticut Children's Medical Center or St. Jude's Memorial Hospital about Santa Clause coming to visit them, and asking them to write two or three items that they would like to have for a surprise visit from the North Pole. And the best part about it....Someone can dress up as Santa Clause, and everyone else can be elves!!!
Let me know what you guys think:
What's more satisfying then putting a smile on a child's face?
~Kyle~
P.S. Yes, Ian, thanks for setting this up for us!
Sorry!
I also support the idea of the Hospital Prom for the Terminally Ill, Mentally Challenged, or the Physically Impaired.
Again the influential question should be: What's more satisfying then putting a smile on a disabled child or adult's face?
Let me know what you guys are thinking about my ideas. Go ahead and critique, it only helps me in the long run!
~Kyle~
hey guys,
I really think that we should do something original. The point of this project is not to do the easiest thing, its to do something that we really are invested in. Yes, doing something already established would be fun and have an impact, but isn't there something more we could do? Maybe something that reaches out to people who aren't already being helped. Of course, no one is saying that we can't do two things!
Nami :)
What about a battle of the bands for charity?
hey guys...so i talked to my dad last night and he gave me a guy whom I can email or call to find out if there is a group from CT heading out soon. It won't be hard at all because he is actually the father of one of the kids in band with me.
Awesome, let us know when you find stuff out. Thank youuuu :]
okay. so I talked to the guy who's is on some committee for people shipping out. His name is Fred Michlon, and he said that there is a group from the Army that was shipping out in the near future. He said all we have to do is give him a call and he can get us in touch with their family support.
yea finally this blog is workin for me!! that's awesome ashley, thanx... do you have the conact info and stuff.... ok guys, so wat steps do we have to do, to start workin on this project?
Hey! I thought I would make up a list of all the things that we need to do to get our service project going! If anyone thinks of anymore, let me know and I will add it to the list. This way, we can see what all we have to do and start delegating tasks...so that we have something for the December meeting!
OK, so this is my list so far.
-Find unit, number of soldiers, place of departure, and date of departure.
-Contact families of soldiers.
-Obtain pictures.
-Contact local businesses to ask for donations of pillowcases/iron on transfers/gift bags/other materials OR fundraise (how?)
-Create actual pillowcases.
-Wrap gifts.
-Arrange transportation to departure site.
-Organize presentation, decorations?, and other such logistics.
-Implement!
That's a great list Nami. I can't really think of anything else to put on there at the moment. I'm going to see Mr. Michlon on Friday at the football game at our school...and I'll get all of his information. Do you want me to post it here? Or send it to everybody in an email?
:) Thanks, and ya, if you could post it here that would be great. I was going to tell everybody about checking the blog, so hopefully everyone will see it! But, it can't hurt to send it in an email! Thanks Ashley!
Hey Nami and Ash!
Sorry I could not get on the blog sooner! School has been extremely hectic lately!
I have a question for both of you:
Nami: I was thinking if we could like get some donations from our family and our friends and their friends and their friends' friend! Is this a good idea? Or should we stick with the donations?
Ashley: Thanks, Ashley! Your leadership in carrying us through laying out the groundworks for this service project is astounding and I want you to know that at least I appreciate that of you! How exactly is this all going to work though? Could you give a description on how we are going to put together the bundles and pillow cases? Or how they are going to get to the families? I understand all the materials and what not, but I don't know how it will all work!
Both of you: Let me know what I can do! I would like to help you guys!
~Kyle~
P.S. Nami! I don't what to leave you out either! You are doing a good job carrying us through as well!
P.S.P.S.
Let's get this project rolling!
P.S.P.S.P.S.
Let me know for the second time, you two, what I can do!
Do you guys think we should like, start thinking of ideas for how we're going to get the money for this? We can obviously ask for donations, but I kinda doubt that we would be able to get all of the money we need from those donations. [By the way, how much do you think we'll need? I know it depends on the amount of soldiers, but estimate maybe?]
And fundraising ideas? idk
We're going to need to find out about this stuff
hey guys we are doing great... one important key thing.. dont forget wat mr.reynalde and beth said.. to ask for donations, we have to send that organization or people, a formal letter from CRILA askin for donations.... keep up the work... let me kno 2, if u need anythin
Hey everyone!
Sharon, thanks for the point about the formal letter. I was thinking about how we could do something like that and I was wondering if we should like have a few people that haven't necessary gotten a chance to participate and maybe they can put together a list of companies to ask and then a final list of the donating companies. Then, another group of kids can work on the letter together in one time (maybe if there's time at the next meeting; if not, maybe we can somehow get it on the blog or what not.)Then, the group can present it to the whole entire group and then present it! I mean, maybe we can even do this at the next meeting if we can hustle. It's just an idea to get everyone involved because I would feel bad if only a few people worked on it.
As far as the fundraising goes, I am not really sure. I mean, we could probably look around (no solicitation) and maybe another group of us could write an advertisement in the Journal Inquirer or Hartford Courant. If we don't want to go publicly, we could probably just ask ourselves a few different ideas each. By doing a little by each of us, everyone gets to put their share in and we don't have anyone feeling like they've been left out.
The project is still young in its development. Obviously, these ideas are not permanent. I think we are doing great and I really appreciate those of us that are leading us towards a large mountain that we must climb together in order to reach the summit. Keep it up everyone, we're doing great!
~Kyle~
Yeah i think we should start doing some fundraising. What if we held something like a bake sale outside of a store or something and took the proceeds and put them towards the pillows? I know it's kind of a strange idea, but it could work. I'm not totally sure about other ideas. Just as an update, my dad is sending me Mr. Michlon's email address tomorrow (he wasn't at the game on friday).
Once we get the information he has, we will be able to contact the people in charge of the soldiers' departure.
Hey!
Ashley, thanks for talking to him! And I really think that your idea about a bake sale would work, and we would get a good amount of money. Any specific ideas as to where? Have you ever done one outside of a store before? Who do we talk to? I would be happy to contact the Stop and Shop in Simsbury and ask if you would like. Maybe we could do simultaneous bake sales different places, and then pool the money.
Kyle, Thanks! Hahaha. About the donations... I don't know what everyone else thinks, and I don't know if you mean monetary donations or physical donations, but I think that monetary donations would be fine...I just wouldn't want to give the soldiers anything but brand new pillowcases! I liked your idea about putting an ad in the Hartford Courant...but where would we get the money...? This is kind of a vicious cycle...
Sharon - good point...I was kind of blocking out the formal letter because I wasn't so excited to write it...do you know if there is a template we can use? I am sure someone can draft one this weekend otherwise.
Steph - I looked up pillowcase prices (Yes, I do realize how ridiculous that sounds...hehehe) and they are about $7 each. So, I am guessing that we will need at LEAST 30, and it is about $40 for 50 iron-on transfer sheets. That right there is $250, and that doesn't even include decorations and transportation expenses! So...we have a lot of work to do!
:) Nami
Hey everyone!
Ashley brings up a good point about the bake sale or just getting started with fundraising in general. We could also do a Recycling Drive where we collect a whole bunch of cans and recycled materials (as much as people want to bring in) and we can get raise money as that. We can also ask companies for their trash and bring those to a Recycling Center for the money as well. All we would need is a pair or small group of us to help bring transfer the cans to the bottle returns or Recycling Center. I mean, it is going to be a bit of a small amount of money but think about if we could get a bunch of bags of cans, we could slowly work our way up along with something a bit more economical such as the Bake Sale or some other type of activity. If we wanted to, we could even ask Friendly's to get involved with proceeds where there's one or two nights where, I want to say about 15-20% of the total proceeds go straight to us. This is another type of fundraising goal we could try. What do you guys think? I am always open for suggestions.
One other thing, when are we going to delegate specific jobs for the project and how? Or do we still have time to consider that? I was just thinking that the earlier we can work on the layout for the project the quicker we can assign people to specific jobs (working around their schedules of course)and get going with the project so we're not limp or on the short end of the fuse.
However, I will say that I am happy on our progress so far as we work on planning this large event that encompass a broad range of our leadership skills and put us to the test on yet another arduous mountain! Let's find ourselves striving to reach the summit! Picture the mountains of Colorado and that adventurous and truly awesome experience we all took this past summer and be encouraged to reach those heights again!
GREAT JOB EVERYONE! WE'RE DOING GREAT!
~Kyle~
I really like Kyle's idea of the Friendly's fundraiser. We have a very actively participating Friendly's in Enfield that I'm sure would be more than happy to do a fundraiser. It just depends on when they would be able to do it.
The can and bottle drive is a great idea Kyle! I did one for field hockey for the past two years, and I raised $98 the first time and $75 the second alone. Imagine how much money we could get if we all chipped in together?!?!
We should also look at the copy of the sheet we got at the last meeting as well just to make sure we have everything ready to present to the staff at our next meeting.
Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been part of the blog until now. What you guys have come up with is amazing though. I like all of the fundraisers mentioned are very doable. I would like doing any and we could even do them all. None of them require too much work by us and the more people we help the better. Also, I wasn't at the last meeting so I don't know if I know everything that's going on. I know what the project is but if there is anything else going on
or any other requirements for the project it'd be great to know. Thanks guys
Hey Nami!
We basically chose projects randomly that we thought would be useful and that we could do as a group. We narrowed down a long list of projects down to four and we narrowed the project ideas into two. We then voted on the project based on which one we would favor more. That project obviously was to do the pillowcases for the children and families of soldiers overseas.
After that, we pretty much literally just got started with our planning part and we didn't really come up with anything, not even fundraising. So if you're wondering if you missed a huge massive lecture and a large deal of action, then you do not have to stress because we literally only just picked our final topic and then briefly put together certain ideas.
Talk to you later!
~Kyle~
P.S. We have awesome ideas for fundraising and I agree with both Ashley and Nami that the ideas that I presented (no pun intended and without being selfish, haha) and I think that all they are really good ideas as well as some of the others that we have aforementioned. I think we are doing great, but we should really consider going into the meeting on the 8th with most of the brainstorming done, as it has been asked of us to do so, as well as start thinking about delegating positions or if we don't need any delegations at all. Let's put this project into action!
Lol, sorry Nami and Nate! I meant to send this message to you, Nate! Haha!
~Kyle~
hi everyone :)
Sorry I'm getting in on this blog so late, but you guys are amazing for doing so much already! The recyling drive, bake sale, and Friendly's thing all sound like they would definitely get us enough money to buy all of the supplies we need (and we might even be able to get some sort of deal on supplies if we tell the stores what we're doing with them and if we go to smaller, locally based places).
Has anyone started actually writing the letter that we have to submit next time, proposing our plan? If no one has, I would be happy to do it, or if someone already has, let me know if I can help!
~Jess
Hey Jess! If anybody has started it, it would be Nami, so I would talk with her.
Just as an update, I'm still waiting for the contact information, which I'm almost positive that I'll get by Monday at the latest, and should have more information for everybody later.
When should we start fundraising for all of this? I know that we have to have a good outline of everything by our meeting, but do you think we can start planning things beforehand? let me know!
Ashley
Hey Jess and Ashley!
I think we should probably start thinking about having a solidified fundraising idea before our next meeting and then submit it at the meeting to see if everyone agrees on our fundraising techniques. If we can type out like a short description about each type of fundraiser and then make some notes along the way, I think we should be good! And maybe we can make those notes going along with the outline that we each got at the last meeting and follow the ideas and pointers that it says on the sheet! It doesn't have to be perfect, and you can always change the ideas around a little!
Does anyone want to help me? Anybody can!
Let me know!
~Kyle~
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
~Kyle!~
Okay so I was reviewing the sheet that we should have "completed" by next Monday, and we have a lot of work to do.
I just sent out an email to Mr. Michlon, so hopefully I will be getting an email back some time today and will keep you posted. We can't further anything until we get a response from him concerning time, place, permisson, etc. But, we can figure out a way to advertise? I'm thinking email would probably be easy, unless we were willing to go down to the base and talk to the soldiers personally, which I think would be a lot better. Also, we need to figure out what supplies we need. So far, I think all we need is pillowcases, cameras, iron? lol.
We can't decide a timeline until we have the information coming back to me in the email.
We also need to set the fundraising ideas. So far we have a bake sale and a Can and Bottle drive. When would anybody be willing to do a can and bottle drive, because that rakes in so much money, and is easy. I know of a place in Windsor Locks where we don't even need to put them through a machine one at a time. If anybody wants to give me a date, I'll be more than willing to go around with you to collect some cans and things.
We also need to plan leaders and speakers. I honestly don't think it will be a good idea to go the day they're leaving, coming from experience. That is there time and it's our job to respect that. But when my dad left, we had a going away barbecue kind of thing, so if they are having one, we could probably go there then. But, like i said, I need to get the information from Mr. Michlon back first.
Can anybody think of anything else? Or want to get started on some course of action?
Hey Ashley!
Thank you so much for your contributions!
I am willing to do whatever I am needed for. I would like to be a speaker because I like to public speak and many people say I am very good at it!
I can probably do the Cans and Bottles Drive sometime during Christmas Break, which is the dates of December 23rd-January 4 or 5th. However, my work schedule is going to be very hectic during this because I work at a dog kennel in Willington and my schedule is off of the high demands of this time. The problem with everyone picking a date and trying to get all the cans and bottles to you or to go around and collect is that it might get so slow that we could be using the time for other, more valuable items.
So, my idea to all of you is:
Bring any cans or bottles that you can bring or collect within a week to the next meeting (December 8th) so we can get going on the Drive.
Ashley, I would be more than happy to help you bring the bottles and cans to the Windsor Locks place on Sunday, December 14th because I am not working then! I could go with my dad and we could meet you in Enfield or we could meet somewhere at the place even!
Ashley, what do you think about the idea of bringing cans and bottles to the next meeting? Or anyone else? Would an email be better or keep this on the blog? I was thinking that an email and the blog would probably be pretty good!
Let me know!
Thanks,
~Kyle~
Hey everybody. I just heard back from Mr. Michlon. Here's the email he sent to me.
Hi Ashley,
We actually have about 45 members of the Air National Guard based out of
Orange, CT leaving late December & early January. We also have some Army
National Guard soldiers going early next year and I can find out specifics
on that as well. I will get our Family Program Coordinator, Mrs. Donna
Rivera in touch with you to help you coordinate what you need to do. Good
luck!
Hopefully Mrs. Rivera will contact us quickly and we will be able to make this work. We are very lucky to have some people shipping out around this time! If she doesn't before the next meeting, I'll find her contact information and give her a call myself.
Kyle, I'll have to check my schedule about the cans and everything, but I'm pretty sure I'm free for the most part. But yeah, if anybody has any cans that they could collect by next Monday and bring them to the meeting, I think that would work out great!
Hi Guys!
OK, so I am willing to compile a list of all of the ideas that we have been throwing around on here for the next meeting. Also, I think we can definitely have everyone bring in cans and bottles for the next meeting, I will send out an email. Also, I think a good target for fundraising would be about $500 - which is probably way above what we need (I posted my calculations on the blog - they came out to be like $250, so we will be safe with double that I am sure!). What do you think?
Also, Ashley, do you think that you can Ms. Rivera if there is a unit shipping out in March/April? Because I don't think that we will be able to get this done by January! :/ Also, I like your point about allowing them to have their own time at the departure, so should we consider mailing all the finished pillowcases to the head of the unit to distribute? I am not quite sure how it all works, so that is just an idea.
Nami :)
Nami that works out great! There is one slight problem with all of this though...if there is no other group shipping out...we might have to change our plans a little bit. If there is, then we are golden. But if not, maybe we should consider sending the soldiers pillow cases with their families on it. That way, we are safe no matter what.
And $500 sounds like a perfect number to reach for. I just hope everybody that has not been a part of this blog agrees with everything we are doing lol.
Hey guys!
Ashley, you brought up a good point about how we should have a bit of margin of error in our process. I agreed with Nami that we probably can't finish this project in January or even work on it that soon.
Nami, I agree with you as well about the margin of error and I think you are doing a great job with the goals. I have went ahead and emailed everyone about the cans and bottles and I was just wondering if you got it?
I am also preparing a sheet of paper with everyone's name on it so that they can check off that they have brought in their bags and put the number of bags that they bring in. I agree with the $500 worth of recyclable money. I just wanted to know how we are going to bring all the things to the place. I am willing to help you, Ash, so don't worry! I think that maybe between the three of us( others can obviously help too!) we can probably manage to bring some home and at some point meet at Ashley's house and help her transport the recyclables and dish them out to the place.
So, did my email work?
Thanks again, Nami and Ashley! We are doing great!
~Kyle~
hey guys. I hate that I haven't done anything yet so let me know if there is anything I can do. I have a huge thing of recyclables that I can bring in or help recycle at any time. if you need me to type anything up or help plan anything just tell me and I'll do it. you guys are doing amazing but I feel bad that you're at it alone
I agree with Nate, seriously guys let me know if I can help :] And I'll bring in some recyclables for our meeting next week.
If anybody wants to, it would be great if we got some help actually turning in the cans. Hopefully we will get plenty at the meeting, but we might need some help returning them. Anybody interested? We could probably grab lunch or something afterwards if we wanted.
Hiya Guys! :)
Yup, Kyle! I got your email! I will be sure to bring in as many things as I can! Also, in terms of transporting them to wherever we are going, I can put some in my trunk at the meeting and just bring them to Stop and Shop and deposit them in the machines there. (Its OK if I look like I drank 500 cans of soda, its for a good cause!) So is the Stop and Shop OK or are we going to go somewhere else and deposit them? I could only do the Stop and Shop because I am working on my college applications and am so busy! So if that works I am game. :)
Also, Jess and I are working on the formal letter, so that will be ready for our next meeting, so that we can distribute it to the stores/companies that we want to ask for donations.
:) Nami
Hey Ash!
I would be happy to help with bringing the cans and bottles down to the Recycling Center, but I just need to know when we're actually going to bring them to the Windsor Locks place.
Nami, it's a great idea to transport them to the Stop and Shop, but we have found a more efficient and beneficial way of bringing the cans and bottles. Ashley said that there's a place in in Windsor Locks where you don't have to even untie the bags or place the cans and bottles in one by one. I don't know exactly what time or when but I would think it would be sometime over a weekend.
I thank each and everyone of you that has taken a look at the blog, made a conscious effort to at least try to make an identity, and those people that are willing to go the extra few miles up the rocky trail to the base of those mountains in Colorado, because each and everyone of us can hike to those heights with the teamwork and the dedication that we have displayed so far, while counterbalancing maybe some of the questions and problems that we think we may have. Yeah, it is tough blood and a lot of hard work, blood-shed tears and strenuous times, but think about how good you will feel knowing that you made a difference in many of hundreds of lives.
As they always say, "The Ripple Effect," always carries us through life. "What goes around comes around," is another great quote. Each and everyone of us has been put onto this Earth for a reason! Let us follow our predestined paths that defines us as leaders!
EXCELLENT JOB EVERYONE!
~Kyle~
Hi its Kevin. I feel really bad about jumping in to all this, but you guys are doing a great job with really putting the pieces together. I would be willing to go to the recycle center or even down to a local stop and shop to help return the bottles people bring next meeting. If you can just let me know the further details I'd be happy to help.
So the place in Windsor Locks, unfortunately, I don't exactly know the name of the street it is on, but I know how to get there from my house. If travelling all the way to Windsor Locks is too far (I don't want to waste anybody's gas money or time), then the local Stop and Shop works just as well, this just might be faster. It took my grandma and I 45minutes to deposit $50 worth of cans in one shot.
About the 14th Kyle, I can't go then, because I'm trying out for a field hockey team on that date. But on a weekend would be so much easier.
I was also thinking about something. If we cannot find a group of people leaving around March or April, what do you think we should do? The group Mr. Michlon was talking about was leaving in January, and that does not give us enough time at all, seeing as it needs to be approved by CREC before we can start anything...
I think we should have a back up plan just in case. And if the lady does not respond to me within the next few days, I will try to find a way to get ahold of her.
Nami and Jess- thanks so much for working on the letter! I know you guys are swamped with college applications and everything, so it really means a lot to us :]
Is there anything else we need for the meeting on Monday?
Hey Ashley!
I think it looks like we should be good!
Just a reminder to everyone to please bring whatever cans and bottles that you can get. They can be from your house or your family or your friends, or schools or a little bit of each. Make sure to see me before the start of the meeting to check off that you brought your cans and bottles. THANKS!!!!
Thanks again for your time and care and I look forward to seeing you all at Monday's Meeting, only in two more days with the greatest society of young leaders around! :)
~Kyle~
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to remind everyone/let everyone know what the committees were for the service project. Here goes -
Fundraising -
Bruno
Jess
Dave S.
Kyle
Advertising/Public Relations -
Kris
Dave T.
Ian
Cameron
Communicating with Soldiers and Families -
Ashley
Nate
Jeff
Nidhi
Sam
Leah
Crafting and Distributing -
Mike
Jamie
Steph
Emma
Alaina
Sharon
Thanking and Final Evaluation -
Sheila
Dale
Amanda
Katie
Budgeting/Finance -
Kevin
Pathik
Christian
DL
:) Nami
Hey thanks, Nami!
I was just wondering how everyone was doing with their committees! Just a reminder that we have to have the Chair and Co-chair for your committee picked out by the next meeting, January 8th. We also need to have each and every one of the committees share their reports (like who is their Chair and Co-chair, and their ideas so far), that way we all know as one large group that how our project is panning out!
Thanks guys! I guess you could communicate with me on the Blog!
~Kyle~
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